Separate but Equal? Philadelphia Charter Schools vs. Philadelphia Public Schools

As I sit here on a Tuesday afternoon, I am compelled to write about the injustice facing Philadelphia parents today and I'm eerily reminded of Plessy vs. Ferguson, the separate but equal case that governed our educational system for almost 70 years. Looking back at this policy, it is strangely quite similar to the setup we have in Philadelphia regarding business or private run schools (charter) vs public Philadelphia schools. As a parent of a special needs child, I am almost shocked that no one has thought to put these two ideas together, but I'll take a stab at it!
Separate but equal was deemed unconstitutional through Brown vs The Board of Education, but it seems that there is a new separate but equal that seems to slowly but surely creep up in this modern age.

Charter schools are a separate form of education that is deemed for everyone, but they are all run differently based on the business or private entity that run them. They have flexibility regarding who they hire and how they deliver curriculum to their students. They seem to be run on a totally different plan than district run public schools. Public schools have a set standard in hiring and delivering of the education to students. Teachers hired have to be certified (not always so in charter schools) and they have to follow carefully constructed criteria (IEPs, etc.) in order to comply and be able to obtain funding. Why are we treating these two streams of education so differently? They are both publicly funded school options for all Philadelphia residents. One appears to be better than the other. In my opinion, it appears that charter schools weren't asking for extra money or extra personnel to keep their children safe, but the public schools were. Why are repeating the same mistakes over and over again with regard to education. I thought the entire message of having charter schools was better access to education and to see if we could model all public education to work for all students. Not to separate them, but for them to work together bettering the education for all students receiving a public education which includes charter school students.
I almost feel like there is a set plan to blatantly shift or pull the wool over our eyes so that we do not see the injustice that is going on her today. As it stands, there is separate but UNEQUAL treatment going on in public education of the Philadelphia School system and NOONE, not even our Mayor is doing anything about it! It is deemed unconstitutional for a reason, and as parents we need immediate help to solve this situation. The discrimination has taken a left and shot right to hell regarding the education of our children here and unless we go further than the state (Governor is not interested in helping us) we will get nowhere. What are your thoughts regarding this modern day injustice?

Philadelphia's Education System... Should be called The Have's and The Have Nots....

We are obviously going backwards to before the depression and public education. Its looking more and more like if you  have the money, live in the right place, or just lucky enough to get chosen in a charter school lottery, you have won the jack pot. For all others, get ready for your child to be in MINI PRISON, cause that's really what they should call these remaining schools. Let's look at what they don't have to further prove that these schools are probably WORSE than the state of the art prison the Governor is making ( and probably anticipating every kid in there ending up there)

1. No Gym program - hell even jail has a yard with weights in it - I guess that would be a step up for the children attending these left over schools
2. No Art program - Wonderful, they have no outlet for creativity. I'm almost positive the new jail would have computers for the inmates....
3. No music program - some of these jails have music studios in them. Wow Jail is looking better and better by the minute
4. No extracurricular activities - but I bet there are things to do in jail...
5. NOT ENOUGH STAFF - I'm 100% positive that jail will be fully staffed and probably much safer than any of these leftover schools with the skeleton crew of people they are leaving in charge of these over crowded class rooms full of the students who couldn't go anywhere else.

It appears that all these children need to just wait until they are old enough or commit a crime that will land them in a cushier place then their public education institution. Its really sad when you compare school to jail and jail comes out on top. 

It also appears that the powers that be have made an obvious attempt to put the total responsibility of education on the parents.. and not just any parents. Parents who have the drive to get their children into a charter school or parents who have the money to put their children in private schools or can afford to live in a great area with an exclusive and good public school based on their property. 

In the never ending saga that is education funding, it appears that Philadelphia is really taking this to a new low. So now they are going to fire almost 4,000 people in addition to closing 23 schools. So in theory, what are we parents to do! Here's my take on the state of the system.

It appears that Philadelphia School District is privatizing more schools than willing to run schools and still getting paid the same amount (or more) of money. That Ain't Right! How are you opening up more opportunities for private and parochial schools (EITC program) and giving more to charter schools (run by private entities) but closing and downsizing the schools you actually run and on top of this, you want to increase property tax and try to milk more money out of taxpayers. Hmmmm doesn't seem like you people in charge should be getting paid the same amount of money for managing less people and less schools under your belt. Why are you still getting the same (or more) pay? Why do you feel entitled to not cut your high paying jobs. So much crap has been spewed regarding sacrificing, but the new superintendent (who's been in power for less than 8 months) is still getting paid a hefty amount, I'm sure. In the midst of all this, we Philadelphians, are still paying Ackermans going away package and paying the new Superintendent's salary and I'm sure they want all their money, cause heaven forbid that the people making the most money get cut and not the people making less (such as the almost 4,000 people getting a pink slip). 

What I still can't understand is how are they cramming these kids in these remaining schools without having vice principals, aids, special education supports, and the host of teachers they intend to layoff. Now who is in charge of making these stupid decisions? Aww, yes! A board of unelected people that we cannot get rid of or criticize in any way. On top of this, PA Governor Tom Corbett is blatantly uninterested in education and more interested in making money with this prison scheme that noone politically wants to talk about when confronted with it by reporters. Why are we not dragging this guy through an impeachment process? Why are we not protested his removal from office when he is clearly a part of the problem and not the solution? We are dragging Mayor Nutter through the ground, but the person that controls the purse strings doesn't seem to be feeling the "bad approval rating" effects that the Mayor has been subjected to. There are so many people against educating people who do not have the means to take it, its almost sickening. 

Everyone else (or mainly everyone else's kids) will not get the opportunity to even try to get out of poverty through education. 

You know those stories of folks who got out of a bad situation due to school or opportunities at school.. those stories will die down and those people with the potential to do greater will never seen the light of day. They will go from Overcrowded drop out schools right to New Jail AND by the time they get there, they might actually be Happy about being there cause it will be 10 times better than the school they were attending for 12 - 15 years of their life. 

Lies told by school district

I am awefully fed up by the incompetence of school district personnel.  My son was reevaluated in the fall and I wanted an updated IEP. The school district psychlogist emails me to inform me that reevaluations take place every 3 years. My answer back: So What!! Why would I wait 3 years to tell you people that his diagnosis and setting has changed and he needs an update? Since I already signed the permission to evaluate I guess they don't feel like doing it, but now they have to, like I'm wasting their time or something.  What is wrong with this picture? I know my rights but I know I'm lucky cause some parent might have stopped the process after receiving that email with that made crap they tried to just send me. I am saving that email and posting it so that you all can see the scandalous behavior and tricks the school districts try to pull to get out of servicing students.
Shameful!